Filmmakers

Basile Vignes passed away on 12 June in his house in France, in the presence of his partner Claudine, his son Simon, his stepdaughter Djénane and close friends.

Serena, an Aurovilian and filmmaker, recounts her journey with the nuns of the Buddhist Karsha Monastery in Ladakh, documenting their inspiring story and the powerful exchange that unfolded.

Danielle de Diesbach, a friend of Auroville who for more than 20 years has been coming to Auroville for six months a year, left her body on the night of August 18th in her home in the south of France.

Serena Aurora is an independent filmmaker based in Auroville and the creator of Aurora’s Eye Films. She has produced many community, spiritual and environmental documentaries conveying some of the explorations in Auroville and elsewhere to a wider audience.

On a sultry May summer’s evening, after one of its communal and tasty pizza nights, the Youth Centre (YC) premiered a documentary simply titled ‘The Youth Centre’.

On September 11th Doris van Kalker (born Griethe) left her body at the age of 76 in Mahalakshmi Home. She had been taken there on August 9th to recover from a fall, then went to PIMS for a few days to find the cause of her unbalance and difficulty with walking, where she was diagnosed with Myeloma.

At noon on Sunday 10 October, Gerard Carabin passed away in his room at Marika House due to issues related to Parkinson’s Disease. He was 73 years old.

On July 4thy, Davide Montemurri, a longtime participant and friend of Auroville, peacefully left his body in his house at Nettuno (Rome). He was 91 years old.

Earthling Koushalya's new Tamil language short film En Udambu (My Body) has been making waves at various screenings in Auroville and Pondicherry.

To speak about how I feel about Auroville or what makes me feel a part of Auroville is always really difficult. It is almost like a mission impossible.

“Nobody wants to talk to me”, said the journalist, annoyance clouding his voice. He had come to write an article about Auroville and had asked the staff of OutreachMedia to find people to whom he could talk.

Fabienne of Outreach Media, Doris of Auroville Video, Serena, an independent Aurovilian filmmaker and Valentina, who is editing the material, talk about the challenges and successes of covering the birthday events.

Outreach Media plays a crucial role in how Auroville is communicated to the larger world. How does it function and what are the challenges it faces?

In October, the fourth Auroville Film festival took place. “The aim of the Auroville Film Festival,” says the Festival brochure, “is to connect with people and cultures within and beyond Auroville and to further the aspiration of human unity by showcasing films that develop the theme of human unity.”

Chandigarh filmmaker Gaurav Chhabra is currently undertaking a 6 months artist’s residency at Kala Kendra. He is developing an illustrated storybook about Sri Aurobindo, and will be joined in this task by Egyptian artist Tarek Kamal.